The Myers Memorial Medal was
introduced in 1995 by the Society for Psychical Research, both to honour the
memory of SPR founder Frederic Myers (1843-1901) and to recognise significant
contributions to the field by current psychical researchers. The initiative was suggested by
then-president Prof Archie Roy (himself a later recipient), and the gold-coloured
medal was designed by Maurice Grosse. The
obverse shows an image of Frederic Myers, with ‘Society for Psychical Research’
along the top and ‘Myers Memorial Medal’ along the bottom in a ring which
echoes the SPR’s logo. Prospective names
of individuals considered of sufficient merit are discussed by the President
and Vice-Presidents, and agreed by the Society’s Council.
There was a feeling at the time of its introduction that those who had made noteworthy advances in the subject were not being sufficiently acknowledged, and that a medal would provide some token of appreciation for ‘outstanding work’, as the announcement in the SPR’s magazine The Psi Researcher put it (curiously it was not announced until the May 1995 issue, after the first award, to Prof. Ian Stevenson, had already been made). Initially the medal was awarded annually though after several years it became intermittent. Involvement in the SPR is not a prerequisite, but the majority of recipients have been closely associated, in one way or another, with the Society.
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| Original artwork, as reproduced in The Psi Researcher, May 1995 |
It has been referred to by alternative names – ‘Myers Medal’, ‘Frederic Myers Medal’ and ‘Myers Memorial Gold Medal’ – but these are incorrect.
There have been nine recipients:
1995 – Ian Stevenson
1996 – Donald West*
1997 – John Beloff*
1998 – Alan Gauld
2001 – Robert L Morris
2003 – Archie Roy
2010 – Erlendur Haraldsson
2014 – Stephen Braude
2020 – Edward Kelly
*These were presented at the same
time, in 1997.
(Updated 2 November 2020)
